Jesus Basics

Friday, May 2, 2014

People living in a Christian culture who experience
a trans-formative spiritual experience often seek to understand that
experience through the lens of traditional Christian teaching. Predominately that teaching comes from the Bible.

Lacking knowledge of the various superstitious beliefs shaping Judaism during the era of Jesus of Nazareth, can lead a
person to embrace false assumptions when attempting to interpret many of the more "cryptic" sayings attributed to Jesus found in the New Testament. Judaism of the 1st century was awash in religious delusion. The God being envisioned and embraced by Jewish leaders and their followers was a "Devil" - Jesus had often declared. Psychosomatic illness and insanity (or demon possession) was common simply because illness or other infirmity was believed to be caused by sin in one's life and God's judgement. Children born with infirmities were believed to be cursed by God because of the sins of their parents - according to scripture. The 1st century God of the Jews had become such a portrait of insanity that his "law" had begun to demand ritual animal sacrifice for the atonement of sins. Religious leaders interpreting the so-called prophetic scriptures were putting the children of Israel at risk for persecution, and perhaps total destruction by Rome, by making the claim that scripture foretold a Messiah coming to free them from Roman rule.

This is a snapshot of the religious insanity reigning during the era of Jesus. This is the religious world Jesus set about to dismantle from within - within the framework of it's own delusions.

It is this author's belief that the sayings attributed to Jesus found in the New Testament are often cryptic because they were far too radical to proclaim openly without assured immediate arrest. Therefore, they were designed to be heard (interpreted) by two separate audiences. One audience is in desperate need of deliverance from the psychological consequences of believing in a wrathful God - acquired by delusional religious indoctrination. To the other, more rational minded audience, the message of Jesus is one of enlightenment and self-empowerment - a direct assault on the religious delusions of the era. Both messages can be found in the sayings of Jesus - depending upon one's interpretation of those sayings. Scholars today are still divided concerning what Jesus might have actually believed concerning the
scriptures of his day. Some would argue that Jesus believed all
scripture should be considered the inspired Word of God - that Jesus himself believed in scriptural inerrancy. Others would
argue that Jesus believed no such thing, by citing sayings of Jesus that directly contradict or annul passages of Old Testament scripture. Surprisingly,
what one 'assumes' Jesus believed concerning the scripture of his day will determine how one
interprets many of the sayings attributed to him in the New Testament. If one assumes Jesus
thought of scripture as the inspired Word of God then the reader will
interpret the sayings of Jesus in one manner. If one assumes Jesus believed scripture to be a collection of wisdom, truth, superstition and fallacy combined (the 'rational' assumption) then the reader will interpret, or hear, the sayings of Jesus
in an entirely different manner.

May all your assumptions lead to understanding - rather than delusion.

Delusion:
An altered state of consciousness induced by embracing a false belief that is crucial to one's understanding of reality.

Side effects include:
1. Inaccurate perceptions of reality.
2. Diminished ability for sound reasoning.
3. Mistrust / fear of those not holding the false belief.4. Strong mental bias for thoughts supporting the false belief.5. Strong mental bias against thoughts opposing the false belief.
Below are seven Common Sense Interpretations of sayings attributed to Jesus in the New Testament. These interpretations are strictly forbidden in fundamentalist Christian churches. (Those churches which teach members to believe the Bible speaks only as the voice of truth, without falsehood or contradiction)

Common sense interpretations in red - followed by the New International translation in italic. 1. Mark 4:24-25Be careful if you attempt to interpret sayings
attributed to me. The reasoning you use will be the measure of your
success, and even more. Those who have sound reasoning will embrace
rational assumptions which lead to more understanding. Those who do not
have sound reasoning will embrace irrational assumptions which leads to
diminished understanding.

NIV -"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."

2. Matthew 23:15Trouble awaits you who teach that scripture is God's word. You self-deluded. You travel land and sea to win a single convert, and when you find one, you make them twice as delusional as you yourselves have become.

NIV - "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You
travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have
succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.3. Matthew 6:22-23How you see the world, your understanding, illuminates the conscious mind. If your understanding of reality is correct your conscious mind becomes full of insights. If your understanding of reality is wrong your conscious mind becomes full of fallacies. Embracing a fallacy as you would an insight makes the mind delusional.

NIV - "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that
darkness!
4. Matthew 5:29-30If your understanding of God confuses or disturbs you, better to approach life without an understanding of God than have your mind cast into torment or delusion. If your first hand spiritual experience confuses or disturbs you, it is better to discount or reinterpret that spiritual experience than have your mind cast into torment or delusion.

NIV - If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole
body to be thrown into hell.And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it
away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your
whole body to go into hell.

5. Mark 3:22-29Prominent religious scholars explained, This man dispels demons by Satan's power. So Jesus called them and answered using symbolic language: How can a lie dispel itself? Theology that is irrational has no solid foundation and minds governed by irrational theology are unstable. If a lie is shown to be irrational it begins to lose its power to delude the mind. The fact is a healthy person's mind can't be robbed of its sanity unless it is first bound by delusion. The truth you need to know is this: The psychological consequences of any sin can be alleviated. But while one holds a false belief concerning the nature of God those psychological consequences will remain.

NIV - And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is
possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out
demons." So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin."6. Matthew 5:17-20

Don't
assume I intend to abolish scripture. I don't intend to abolish
scripture. I intend to fulfill scripture's apocalyptic expectations.
Because the truth is until scripture's apocalyptic expectations are
met, those who have become delusional by believing scripture will never be free of even the
smallest and absurd details of the law. So, whether you
practice and teach scripture's wisdom or reject it you can attain a certain measure of lasting peace accordingly. But
unless your intellectual integrity exceeds that of those who believe scripture is God's Word, you certainly won't find any measure of
lasting peace.

NIV - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest
letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from
the Law until everything is accomplished.Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and
teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the
kingdom of heaven.

7. Matthew 10:34-36Do not imagine that I come to bring peace to this earth. I am offering wisdom that refutes the authority of scripture. This will inevitably set family members against family members, and make you an enemy to some who share your religious heritage.

NIV - "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and a man's enemies will be those of his own household."

Note: (For those
interested in further reference) Below are 9 common sense
translations of metaphors used consistently in New Testament sayings
that have been attributed to Jesus.1. Eye - 'Your understanding'2. Body - 'Your perceptions or the conscious mind'3. House - 'The individual mind - conscious and subconscious'4. Kingdom - 'The philosophy governing one's mind'5. Son of Man - 'Humanity or the individual' (depending on context)6. Devil/Satan - 'A falsehood - A mind controlled by falsehood'7. Hell - 'A state of delusion leading to mental torment'8. Heaven - 'A state of enlightenment leading to lasting peace'9. Father - 'The source of one's understanding and self-awareness'

Final thoughts:

Embracing the fallacy that the Bible and Quran are ‘God’s Words’ - that these books contain no falsehood - has made countless Christians, Jews and Muslims unwittingly delusional. No mind retains the ability to read and judge these books soberly after embracing as ‘insight’ a belief in their divine nature. The desire to have all scripture remain truth prevails in the mind of the believer and a fear of scripture often becomes the norm for the uneducated.

Each generation ‘God’s Word’ scholar reinterprets end times myths to fit current events and develops any tortured logic necessary to remain blind to the many falsehoods and contradictions found in these texts. Less fortunate victims find themselves ‘struck down’ by ‘God’s Word’ after hearing some troubling passage;their minds seized by fear that God is judging them. These then become at risk for serious mental illness.

This fallacy is the root of all religious conflict. It strips people of their ability to reason soundly and inspires self-fulfilling fatalistic worldviews. The sociopath utilizes this belief to seize control of government and maintain systems of oppression.

Resist the temptation to embrace this fallacy when seeking insight into your own spiritual experiences.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

There
have been some unspeakably wicked things done in the name of God over
the centuries. In my lifetime I can't think of a more insidious act
done in the name of the Christian God than the nefarious campaign to
teach Americans that God opposes abortion.

In
Frank
Schaeffer's autobiographical book - “Crazy
For God” - Frank reveals that his father, Francis
Schaeffer (the defacto father of the pro-life movement) came to
regret his participation in the politics that would spawn the
pro-life movement within the Republican party. In Frank's new book -
“Sex, Mom
and God” - Frank illuminates further the corrupt politics that
brought regret to his father's last days. Both of these books are
excellent resources for anyone interested in the strange history of
the heretical anti-abortion doctrine being taught in American
churches today, in part, for the purpose of garnering political
support.

As
a professing Christian I wrestled for years with the abortion
arguments. Only in the last few years have I come to fully understand
the deeply flawed nature of the anti-choice argument.

Safe
modern medical abortion is a relatively new phenomenon in the world.
When this procedure was unexpectedly legalized in 1972 many struggled
to understand it. There were no centuries old church decrees
concerning abortion that were widely known in lay circles in
existence. The responsibility therefore fell on all believers to
decide for themselves what the "will of God" might be
concerning abortion. Although abortion was first widely embraced as a
godsend by many respected Christians thinkers, including Southern
Baptist theologians, opposing forces soon emerged intent on shaping
the broader layperson's understanding. Certain Christian activists
and authors like John
Rushdoony and Francis
Schaeffer began teaching that abortion is an unprecedented form
of last days evil and those who practice it commit murder.

With
doctrinal uncertainty now brewing in Evangelical America, some in the
Republican party saw the perfect opportunity to win a larger segment
of the Evangelical voting block away from the Democratic Party. Frank
Shaeffer and his father were commissioned to create several films
designed to teach American Evangelicals that God strongly opposes
abortion – that abortion is nothing short of murder. These films
were then aggressively shown in churches throughout America –
courtesy of the Schaeffer's politically connected benefactors.

The
vast majority of Christian laypersons in America (including
Catholics) reject, or do not follow Papal decrees concerning
contraception due to the "irrational" nature of these
decrees. But the success of the Papacy in advancing a similar
"irrational" argument for an abortion prohibition has been
much more successful in America, primarily because the Evangelical
community - while mostly getting it right on contraception - has
failed miserably to grasp the catastrophic irrationality of the
anti-abortion argument - which, if embraced, becomes blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit. The unpardonable sin.

So
what's wrong with the pro-life world view - from a traditional Christian perspective?

If
it is in fact true that what God values in human life comes into
existence at conception and if that thing of value is actually
destroyed when an abortion takes place - and if it is also true
that it is inherently the will of God that all conception (including
conception from rape, incest or fornication) result in live birth,
then the pro-life position remains perfectly logical – it has
“common sense”. But if one believes – as Jesus
taught – that the human body is the “container” for what God
values in human life - the soul - and the creation of a soul is a
"process" and not all conception is necessarily the will of
God, then the pro-life position becomes not only illogical but highly
counterproductive.

The common sense of the pro-life
world view begins its trajectory off the rails by denying that the
creation of human life is an "extended process" initiated -
not by God - but by the actions of human beings. Pro-life
believers stray further from common sense by insisting that what is
of value to God (and man) in human life comes fully formed into
existence as an instantaneous "God willed" event occurring
at the moment of conception. But the fatal damage to the
pro-life argument occurs when one assumes it is somehow “logical”
that God's universal will and desire is that all human conceptions
result in live birth and therefore the human creation process should
never be halted or interfered with by mankind. What could
possibly be the evidence for such a belief - in scripture or anywhere
else?

At best this view of reality not only puts man in a box
but it puts God in that same box. God is not free to use the
hand of man to ever stop gestation once conception begins – by the
decree of man. That God would desire all conceptions to come
to term simply because man has managed to start the ball rolling is
highly presumptuous thinking at best. It lacks that quality
called "common sense" - or any respect for the presumed
autonomy of God for that matter. How can one just “assume” that
all conception, (which in all instances occurs by an act initiated by
man) be the will of God? In our distant past successful conception
might have been considered an act of God but scientists today can
produce conception at will in the lab, simply by mixing the correct
ingredients. Man is who calls forth conception from the void.
Not God.

The
illogical nature of the belief that conception is a miraculous event
tied to the will of God is why pregnancy resulting from rape or
incest often gives even the most staunch pro-life advocate an
unsettled feeling from time to time. It is why Senate candidate
Richard Murdoch had such a pained tone in his voice as he professed
on camera that he felt required to believe that even conception from
rape is the will of God.

The
pro-life believer feels confident that rape can not be the will of
God – because rape is a bad thing. But despite the other obvious
soon-to-be “bad things” staring them in the face, a woman
required to bear a rapist's child against her will and a child
growing up with a rapist father, they still steadfastly refuse to
consider the possibility that God might actually prefer to terminate
a conception. They want instead to trust God desires all conceptions
come to term. And this belief is primarily held in place by another
completely unfounded belief – that a soul will be lost if a fetus
is destroyed. Clearly, not all things are possible with the pro-life
God. And all by the decree of the pro-life believer.

The
pro-life worldview is promoted in our Evangelical churches almost
entirely by means of a very powerful appeal to ones' empathetic
emotions, along with a preference for some scripture over others and
a complete denial or perversion of yet others. All to try to make a
case for “human soul life” beginning at conception. A particular
type of soul life mind you – of the type that can somehow be
destroyed by the act of abortion.

The
closer one examines the pro-life worldview the more one discovers it
defies almost all traditional Christian concepts and principles. And
since the pro-life worldview declares the “soul” exists at
conception, one must then wonder what a soul even is - if this is
true. I think most all Christian theologians would agree that the
elemental essence of a human soul is a person's “consciousness”
or “self-awareness”, the “observer within” – that part of
human life that Christians hope survives after death. That thing
Jesus said no man could destroy (Matthew 10:28) and yet it is somehow
in grave peril from the threat of abortion – having not yet even
manifested itself in the world. Perplexing. Christians would perhaps
be wise to settle all the “unprovable” theological arguments
concerning the birth of the soul with the only passage of scripture
describing such a birth. Genesis 2:17 (KJV) “And the LORD God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Clearly a
process. Not an instantaneous event at conception.

The
teaching of the pro-life heresy in America's churches (along with
other blatant heresies all stemming from the belief in an inerrant
Bible, made to say whatever one pleases) imperils the very survival
of Christianity in America. Because these teachings not only subvert
and pervert traditional Christian understanding but also impede our
evolution to greater understanding of ourselves and our world. These
teachings lead to the denial of science, but science is a secure path
to understanding God: “God's invisible qualities--his eternal power
and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what
has been made” (Romans 1:20 NIV).

So
what can be understood about the nature of God by observing how human
beings are made – if one adopts a view that a human soul is what is
of preeminent importance to God, rather than the body, as Jesus
taught?

Scientists
now understand, in part, why nature often aborts through miscarriage
- to ensure that only healthy bodies become the future containers for
human souls. Chromosome damage is now regularly discovered in
the autopsies of miscarried fetuses. Chromosome damage leads to
DNA replication errors, which causes birth defects.
Evidently the God of nature is much more concerned about ensuring a
healthy body for a potential human soul than the destruction of a
fetus through miscarriage, because nature is the most prolific
abortionist of all. Researchers currently estimate well over
half of all human conceptions end in spontaneous abortion.
Some conceptions do not manage to implant in the uterus while others
detach after an extended period of gestation. Why is the
pro-life movement not outraged at nature for such murderous
behavior?

Our
evolving understanding of miscarriage reveals nature is at work using
her brand of wisdom to ensure not all conceptions result in live
birth, one could argue for the sake of a potential soul. But we
also know that nature sometimes fails in her tasks and so we seek to
perfect or purge those failings, as we evolve in our own
understanding and dominion over nature, to advance humanity's well
being. These facts about our "reality" should profoundly
influence our understanding of God's will and abortion.

Perhaps
the most fundamental teaching of Jesus recorded in scripture
concerning the "nature of God" is that God must always be
understood as "good" and “only good” when attempting to
understand God's will. This is the vital understanding necessary to
discern the will of God and abortion. For Christians seeking to know
the will of God, in any matter, this core teaching of traditional
Christianity – that God must always be defined as “good” - is
the essential tool needed to discern not only God's will concerning
abortion but God's will for man's future. It will be the only
reliable compass able to steer Christians safely through the dark
waters of human affairs in our coming hyper-technological ages.

Most
people of faith understand at some level that a “good” God
can not possibly desire children be born with unhealthy bodies or
into environments that would be toxic to the awakening human soul.
Yet the unhealthy fear of God bred by the pro-life world view keeps
many from accepting the cold hard fact that humans must be the ones
to implement God's will in this world. Humans will be required to
bring God's Kingdom to the earth. Rather than adopting a
“body centric” view of human reproduction that foolishly mourns
the loss of a fetal body after miscarriage or abortion, a bit of
common sense, along with an understanding of what constitutes a
“good” God, will lead one to God's will and abortion. Just
like nature, people should choose to allow a conception to proceed if
a healthy body is understood as likely and the external environment
is favorable for nurturing an emerging soul. Choice is
simply another of God's tools promoting our evolution toward
perfection.

But it is clear the God of the pro-life movement
values the survival of the fetal body over the well-being of any
potential human soul.

A hallmark of any Christian
heresy is this: any belief or doctrine that, in practice,
envisions God as “less than wholly good”.

The pro-life God
is the vision of those who do not understand or do not accept certain
aspects of reality and prefer to reject common sense in order to
uphold their emotionally charged belief that there is never a good
reason to destroy a fetus. And if there ever were good reasons
to destroy a fetus man could not and should not deduce those
reasons. This vision of God makes man a pawn of his own
ignorance to be judged by a lessor God of his own making.

God trusts nature to use her wisdom at times to destroy a fetus
to ensure the best "body environment" for the potential
soul. Humanity must follow nature's example by judging the
"exterior environment" into which the potential soul will
be born. The mental and physical fitness of the mother
and father. The physical resources. Is there severe
damage to the fetal body nature is blind to? Would pregnancy
endanger the life of the mother? Is the conception
against the will of the mother? And perhaps the most
significant of all God's desires for humankind, will the child be
loved? All of these external environmental factors should be
considered and found acceptable in order for one to be able to assert
that "God approves" that another soul come into the
world.

Those
who oppose rationality in favor of a more superstitious worldview
will disregard the reasoning in these arguments and instead focus on
attempts to undermine rationality with spurious sacred text claims or
throw up the fearful cry of eugenics. They will use all manner
of slippery slope argument to suggest that Godly people must never
play God and other such nonsense. If Godly people don't ever
play God then they aren't Godly people. For the record I do
not advocate any form of eugenics. Unless you define eugenics
as the right of every woman to decide with clear conscience in
prayerful council with her God when and if to bring a conception to
term. Let it also be noted that I do not advocate that
conceptions that are discovered to be indicative of severe
disabilities be aborted. I advocate for what I believe
God advocates. That potential parents should rest assured
that God is their loving partner in the creation of life process and
therefore parents alone are free to make whatever decision they might
choose without fear of their God - for the sake of the potential
child. Children born into this world with severe
disabilities should be wholly embraced and nurtured by society.
Because there is no difference in self-aware human life once born.
We all will suffer and we must embrace one another to ease our
suffering.

Ultimately
the greatest sin of the pro-life world view is that it unwittingly
asserts that God often wills that newborn human souls awaken in the
hell of un-wantedness or severe physical deprivation, a place
extremely rare for a person to survive, let alone thrive.
The pro-life worldview becomes a form of blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit in this case since it ascribes a negative quality to the
nature of God by way of wholly irrational argument. It
declares that an independent act of mankind - the instantiation of
conception - that is then sometimes allowed to come to term in a
hostile environment - also by an independent act of mankind - is
always the preferred will of God rather than termination of a
conception. God's will is never actually even considered if one
adopts the pro-life world view. God is simply forced to
conform to the dictates of the pro-life worldview - that all
conception is God's will and all conception coming to term under any
circumstances is God's will. Tragically,
too many of this world's souls are still being born unwanted or into
environments of violence and deprivation simply out of an irrational
fear of God and misplaced emotions. And unfortunately the children
born into these environments often become the outcasts of society,
predictably the common thieves, the seriously mentally ill, our
death-row inmates -
perhaps
the "Judas" of our times,
of whom Jesus said: "It would have been better for that man had
he not been born".The
pro-life deception is capable of ensnaring anyone willing to close
their mind to reason in favor of emotionally driven superstitious
fears surrounding human reproduction. If human beings are not
free to decline to participate in God's creation of life process, at
any stage of that creation of life process, then God can no longer be
defined as good and humans are nothing more than machines being
forced to reproduce, even against the best interests of society when
necessary. And if the well being of a potential human soul is
not the preeminent concern of mankind when considering the fate of
any conception then mankind has dismissed its real responsibilities
to the potential child in favor of promoting its own fears and
ignorance concerning the nature of reality.If one envisions God from a truly traditional perspective then God
has very clearly provided a way for nothing of substantial value to
be lost if and when a fetus is aborted - other than the potential for
human life, along with the value that has been psychologically
projected onto a fetus by the parents and society. That's
reality. The pro-life worldview is irrationality masquerading
as pious concern. It errs on the side of fear of the unknown rather
than
attempting to
envision a world where God is a true loving partner in the creation
of human life process.